Iran’s army to hold drill near tense border with Azerbaijan

By AMIR VAHDAT
Associated Press

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s army has put its wary neighbors on notice that it’s about to conduct a wide-ranging military exercise near its northwestern border amid long-simmering tensions with Azerbaijan. The commander of the Iranian army’s ground forces said the drill to test weapons, assess the combat readiness of troops and demonstrate the country’s military capabilities would involve drones, attack helicopters, tanks and artillery. The state-run IRNA news agency’s report didn’t specify the exact area the exercise would cover. But the drill, which starts Friday, is bound to put Iranian troops and weapons close to the tense border with Azerbaijan — a prospect that’s already raised alarm in the ex-Soviet Caspian Sea nation.